Why do people fall for the ESL teaching scam?

Perhaps your cousin didn't shop around. I found online ESL cles where the basic certificates started at $295 and the expert was just under $1000. As for the hourly income between your friend and cousin, nothing was guaranteed by the training program. My bachelors degree doesn't guarantee that I'll make any particular income as well. All they can state is that "on average", graduates/certificate complete normally start around "$X". In the case between your friend and cousin, maybe your friend is just more ambitious and better as an independent tutor.